Getting a health kick at Fung Ding Hung
PUBLISHED September 3rd, 2013 01:15 am | UPDATED April 14th, 2016 05:33 pm
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Chinese food as much as the next person but the MSG, the feeling of needing to be rolled out of the restaurant afterwards because you’ve overloaded your system – well, sometimes, not so much.
Happily, you won’t encounter either of the above at Fung Ding Hung, a Chinese restaurant tucked away one floor up in the grounds of the Rendezvous Gallery Hotel. Why? Because the entire restaurant’s focus is on health and wellness, and cuisine full of goodness without a trace of preservatives a.k.a. MSG. Think nutritional Chinese recipes and dishes geared towards good health served in one of those typical contemporary Chinese settings, complete with bejeweled chairs.
The menu is set up in such a way that matches up to what aspects of your health need a little TLC. The path is set by a selection of Nutritious Hot Tea ($2.90 upwards for a pot). Need to reboot your Qi? On the warpath against premature aging? Need to keep that blood pressure in check? There’s a tea for each and every one of you.
A quick detour, I just have to mention that I think the pickle served here is probably amongst the tastiest I have tried. One word: passionfruit. Need I say more?
Keeping with the liquid theme, there’s an interesting variety of double-boiled soups to help combat your ailments. We particularly liked the Full Nutrient Duck Soup ($8.80), which promised to restore and fortify both Qi and blood in the body. Not only that, but it was a potent yet palatable blend of flavours. For something a little milder, but which sets out to gee up your immune system and prevent premature aging try the Double Boiled Ganoderma and Dried Logan with Chicken Soup (also $8.80).
On the mains, feeling like a pick me up we ordered the Braised Duck and Ginseng ($18.80). Tender pieces of duck in a wholesome gravy, this dish pledges to improve your energy and nourish your blood, and it has to be said, there was something about it that did taste very nourishing indeed.
Need to flush your system of toxins? Then try out the Stir-Fried Chinese Yam and Burdock with Sliced Pork ($14.80 small/$28 medium/$42 large). A tasty way of clearing your meridians, it’s the burdock here that is the secret weapon.
The menu comes with a little thumbs up sign by the Home Style Beef Rice ($12.80) and it is well deserved as this was so appetizing, I wondered how it could be possible without the usual MSG that sadly seems to lace so much Chinese food in restaurants.
Though we were in a meaty mood, the menu also extends to a variety of live seafood including fish, crab, crayfish, frogs and if you’re feeling a little more adventurous – turtles!
I have to admit, I felt rather rejuvenated after the meal – whether that was psychosomatic or not remains to be seen but it felt good to spend my lunch eating nutritional food and feeling quite cleansed from within (rather than ending my meal feeling like I needed a good cleansing from within!).
Written by Ms Demeanour
